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Empower Yourself! ...and speaking of public speaking “The fear of appearing foolish can only be alleviated through guided practice in rewarding contexts.”
August 2013 Volume II • Issue 8 Michael Kull and Eva Nations, Publishers Advisory Board
Contributing Writers
Sr. Mary Marta Abbott, RSM The Diocese of Knoxville
Jack Brundage Caleb Carlton Rachel Dellinger Ashley Ebert Jeffrey Eberting, D.M.D., M.S. Jennie McGuigan, MS James McIntyre, Ph.D. Tracey Matthews Anu Celly Narula, Ph.D. Erin Nguyen Mike O’Hern Ryan Redman, M.D. Kathryn Rea Smith, Ph.D. Michael K. Smith, Ph.D. Elizabeth Stucke Lee Tramel Barry Van Over John Frederick Wolfe, M.D.
Marie Alcorn United Way of Greater Knoxville Mike Bailey Small Business Representative Paul Parson East Tennessee Children’s Hospital Tracey Matthews Knox County Schools Family and Community Engagement Elizabeth Pooley Marketing Professional
Contributing Photographers
Lee Tramel Knox County Sheriff ’s Department
Kasandra Atwood Caleb Carlton Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Liz Stucke Amy Wilson
Liza Zenni The Arts and Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville
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If at first you do succeed... “The most motivating thing in the world is success. A victory gives the motivation for the next battle.” PAGE 7
Challenge your child with the six tasks “Anyone who is in a leadership position knows the importance of learning how to persevere despite obstacles, to be kind on a regular basis and to be a team player.” PAGE 19 Knoxville Parent Magazine is a publication dedicated to building stronger families and a better future for our community. Call us now to become part of our family!
Contents 4
A letter from the publishers
16 Psychological healing for parents
5
Calling all parents: Parent-Child Agreements help set back-to-school rules for cell phone usage
18 When emergencies happen
6
...and speaking of public speaking
20 Great back-to-school tips and strategies
7
If at first you do succeed...
21 Ten terrific books about empowering parents
9
Retainers…Are you kidding me??!!
22 A message from Dr. Jim McIntyre
10
Are your kids getting too much screen time?
24 How the Knoxville Symphony Reaches East
11
Keep the joints moving: Children with arthritis can excercise
25 The Nature Journal: A year-round family activity
13
How to break up with your snooze button
26 The real thing: The miracle of becoming parents
15
Guiding your child through the college application essay
19 Challenge your child with the six tasks
Tennessee Students
in mid-life
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Visit us at KnoxvilleParent.com 3
Knoxville Parent • August 2013
A message from the Publishers by Eva Nations and Michael Kull
Dear Readers, Welcome to a new school year! August’s topic is about empowering you to more effectively direct your children towards success as the new school year begins. This month, our writers offer helpful solutions to situations that may surface as you raise your children. Some of these topics include public speaking and confidence; “getting-back-to-school” tips and homework; responsibility, leadership and motivation; and physical, emotional and behavioral health concerns. They also highlight several cultural activities to enrich your life. We trust that these articles will help you get empowered to make a positive impact on all the people in your life. Here’s to a powerful new school year! Eva and Michael
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5
Knoxville Parent • August 2013
Calling all parents
Parent-Child Agreements help set back-to-school rules for cell phone usage By Jack Brundage, Director of Sales for U.S. Cellular in Tennessee
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s children head back to school this month, some students may be carrying a new cell phone for the first time. Mobile phones provide security, access to educational technology and more, but they also add responsibility for students and challenge parents to ensure that kids are using their phones courteously and safely. How do parents talk to kids about the new responsibility of using a cell phone? Through a recent customer survey, U.S. Cellular discovered that 91 percent of parents either already set or plan to set mobile phone usage guidelines for their children, and 63 percent indicated they would find it helpful to have a tool to help guide their ability to supervise children’s usage and behavior with their cell phones. That’s why we created a Better Moments Parent-Child Agreement to guide the conversation about cell phones between parents and children. The agreement, available to download for free at www.ChildPhoneAgreement.com, is customizable so that families can make it work for their specific needs. It includes suggestions on safety and etiquette, and parents also have the opportunity to create their own guidelines that focus on creating better moments with their families. Giving a child his or her first cell phone is a big step for any parent, and we want to provide families with the tools they need to make the decision as smooth as possible. As a parent, I know my mind was at ease once my children had their own phones. Especially, as they became more involved in after-school activities and started driving, our cell phones made it easy for us to stay connected and organized, and it gave me peace of mind to check in with a call or text and know my kids were safe. The Parent-Child Agreement is an easy way to set some ground rules that everyone can agree on. Families can set rules for how the phone will be used at school, like agreeing to put phones away according to school policy. After your family has finalized your agreement, smartphones can become a “Back-to-School Command Center” with everything needed to navigate the school year. From organizing school activities and assignments to helping reinforce key homework concepts in an engaging way through educational apps, a cell phone can be an indispensable tool for student success. I wish my children had access to this type of technology from early on in their education – apps and games can truly make homework and education even more fun. Here are some tech tips for great school year: Organize the Family Schedule: Apps like U.S. Cellular Family Organizer by Cozi (free) allow a busy family to put all of the detailed family schedules into once centralized place for quick and easy access. Homework and Study Helpers: Use your smartphone or tablet to help your younger students by downloading Math Practice Flash Cards (free) which allows students to practice addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems and Political Maps (free), which shows kids the countries of the world with their capitals and the languages spoken within those areas. As director of sales for U.S. Cellular, Jack Brundige leads a team of 200 associates and oversees company sales in East Tennessee and beyond. Jack and his team support several local organizations and activities such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee, Knox Area Rescue Ministries, Knoxville Area Urban League, YWCA, U.S. Cellular Soccer Complex, Bijou Theatre and the Knoxville Zoo. Jack and his wife, Jackie, live in Knoxville and have two children: Austin, age 23, and Alyssa, age 20.
“The Parent-Child Agreement is an easy way to set some ground rules that everyone can agree on.“ Keep on Top of Assignments: Get kids’ devices ready to go back to school with apps that can simplify and enhance their studying and homework. Older students can selfmanage their homework, schedule study time, homework and tests using the handy HomeWork app (free). Know the Rules: Parents can have even more control when it comes to kids’ cell phone use with a service like U.S. Cellular’s Family Protector App. You can customize your child’s phone to work only during certain hours or for certain approved numbers. You can also restrict access to certain websites and phone numbers, or even create a geo-fence so that you receive an alert when your child has left a designated area. If you want to learn more about these tools or services, ask your wireless carrier or stop by your local U.S. Cellular store. We’ll be happy to help whether you’re a customer or just have some questions. We’re here to help you make the most out of what technology can do for parent and students, during the busy school year and all year long.
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Knoxville Parent • August 2013
by Michael K. Smith, Ph.D.
...and speaking of public speaking Fear and confidence in public speaking
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alker Percy, in his Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book, describes a prevalent fear: “A recent poll asked people what they feared most. A majority of respondents agreed in ranking one fear above all others, above fear of sickness, accidents, crime, war, even death. It is the fear of speaking before a group, stage fright.” Why is speaking before a group so frightening? “Is it because you fear a total failure of performance such as never happened in the history of the world, so that not one word will come to your mind and world chaos will follow?” Percy exaggerates so that the reader will reflect on his or her own feelings about public speaking. Is this skill of public speaking so important? Can we just avoid this fearful event? I do not believe that we can but we do need to be aware of strategies that build confidence. Many situations require adults to present their ideas to others. Workers could be asked to discuss
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“The fear of appearing foolish can only be alleviated through guided practice in rewarding contexts.”
their solutions to a company’s problem. Students in university classes are often required to make a class presentation on their original projects. Adults, in many social and church events, may be asked to give their opinions, to speak their minds. Interestingly, speaking skills are also a part of the new Common Core standards. For instance, Grade 8 students should be able to “present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and wellknown details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.” Furthermore, students should be able to “adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks.” What can parents and teachers do to help students develop these speaking skills? All skills require proper practice to develop mastery and confidence. Parents can be an encouraging audience as their children rehearse any presentations required at school. Parents could set aside a few minutes at home weekly to have their children talk about their interests and activities. Teachers can construct classroom exercises that encourage students to speak in various contexts, from reciting a poem to reading a story to talking about a nonfiction topic. This summer, my oldest son participated in a science internship at Oak Ridge. He researched various activities that attempted to teach Java computer programming to middle school students. To end the summer, he was required to present his findings to other interns and scientists. In the weeks before, he organized his talk, made a PowerPoint, and practiced a lot. As parents, we listened to several rehearsals. He was both excited and nervous as the scheduled day approached. All this effort paid off when the actual talk went smoothly. This success will hopefully build confidence toward future public speaking engagements. The fear of appearing foolish can only be alleviated through guided practice in rewarding contexts. As the new school year starts, parents and teachers should look for opportunities to help students master public speaking. The rewards are immense as these future citizens learn to speak their minds, a skill essential in any democracy. Michael K. Smith, Ph.D., is owner of TESTPREP EXPERTS (www.testprepexperts.com ) which prepares students for standardized tests such as the ACT and SAT. He is also a consultant to Discovery Education Assessment. He can reached at mike@testprepexperts.com.
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Knoxville Parent • August 2013
If at first you do succeed...
Little accomplishments can add up to big success By Mike O’Hern, Center Director of Mathnasium of West Knoxville
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o you’ve been weight training for five years now, you’ve taken a breather over the summer, and it’s time to get back to it. At the beginning of your sixth year you should be able to bench press 250 pounds. Now go do it. Oh, you can’t? Try again. In fact, try again – multiple times – each and every n day from August 12 until May 21. And, by the way, no, you may not practice with smaller weights. Still can’t do it? Well get ready, because next year you’ll be required to bench 300! n I don’t know about you, but if I went to the gym and was required to try to lift something way more than h I could possibly lift, I wouldn’t stay motivated for a day, much less and e entire school year. But this is what is happening to so many of today’s students. They are expected to do math that they don’t understand, day after day, and we try to motivate them with grades, treats, or whatever we think will do the trick. No one will be motivated for long if they are expected to accomplish the g impossible, and if you’ve been slipping since second grade, your fifth grade math is truly all but impossible. y The most motivating thing in the world is success. A victory gives the t motivation for the next battle. Math is no different. Working some math at . the student’s level (the student’s level, not the level at which they are expected k to be) gives some victories that will motivate them to give that school math another shot. I have seen this countless times at my learning center. We give our new student problems that are on their level and start to move them t forward, and within a month their math grade at school improves. A month a is not long enough for them to get caught up on all of the math they haven’t mastered over the years, but having the right materials in front of that student e builds confidence, which in turn causes them to be motivated to try hard and a ask questions at school. Bear in mind that we’re not talking about “easy math” here. We’re talking e about a real workout – we want the level where it will cause a real sweat, but is achievable. It’s a balancing act: Too easy and they know it’s not helping, too hard and they continue to be shut down. Your best opportunity get this started is in the first three weeks (give or s take) of school. They will likely be doing some review from the previous year, so you have a chance to get that motivation rolling before the new material hits. Then keep it rolling. Two or three times per week spend some time on the foundations that keep them encouraged (and just happen to be closing the gap As owner and director at Mathnasium (a math learning center with locations in West Knoxville and Chattanooga (www.mathnasium.com/westknoxville) for the past five years, Mike has extensive experience teaching children and young adults the foundations of math concepts that are crucial to building their confidence and engagement with math throughout life.
“The most motivating thing in the world is success. A victory gives the motivation for the next battle.” as well), then they’ll need less help on today’s material because they won’t feel defeated. This is what I’ve seen for years now when working with students. A twopronged approach where we build a curriculum to meet your student right where he or she is, and augment with help on today’s work as needed. It does wonders for your student’s self-confidence and motivation while building a strong foundation that will serve him or her well for years to come.
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Knoxville Parent • August 2013
Retainers…Are you kidding me??!! By Jeffrey Eberting, D.M.D., M.S.
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ou have gotten to the end of your orthodontic treatment. You have tolerated two years of metal brackets cemented to your teeth. You have endured the week’s discomfort after each appointment that your wires have been “tightened”. YOU HAVE NOT BEEN ALLOWED TO CHEW GUM THIS WHOLE TIME!!! You see the light at the end of tunnel and are happy to have these things off. So what’s this nonsense about retainers? Some patients and their families view this phase of treatment as the quintessential buzz kill. “We’re supposed to be done with treatment! Why do I have to wear retainers? Are you kidding me??!!” The idea of having to wear and take care of a piece of plastic for up to two additional years can seem like more treatment than one originally set out to have. As always, however, there is a rationale behind the madness… Orthodontic treatment addresses not only the teeth, but the supporting structures as well – more specifically, the bone and the gingiva (or gums). As teeth are straightened and aligned, the gums and bone have to reshape or remodel themselves. This process takes place at a much slower rate than tooth movement. The analogy I like to make is that at the end of orthodontic treatment, the teeth are at the finish line, but the gums and bone are only halfway through the race. Theoretically, if I were to remove a patient’s braces and tell them to “have a nice life,” then one could reasonably expect the teeth to relapse to the point where the bone and gums had reshaped themselves. This explains the need for retainers. A patient’s retainers will hold the teeth at “the finish line” while the gums and bone continue reshaping themselves. This reshaping process may take up to two years. Usually, at the end of the retention phase, there is a need to evaluate having the third molars (or wisdom teeth) extracted. I recommend having these teeth extracted as soon as possible. Trust me, you do not want wisdom teeth trying to erupt, pushing on the teeth in front of them, and messing up the beautiful orthodontic work for which you paid with a lot of time and money. The big questions I get about retainers are “what type?” and “how long?” There are many types of retainers, and so long as they hold the teeth in their final positions, any type will do. Most orthodontists use the clear, plastic retainers which fit over the teeth (called an Essix retainer). People my age remember the type of retainer that has a wire coming across the upper front teeth and acrylic resting in the roof of the mouth (called a Hawley retainer). There also are cases where a wire may be bonded to tongue-side of the front teeth – either upper, lower or both – to prevent any relapse of the front teeth. We call these fixed retainers. How long does one wear these retainers? That varies by orthodontist and by patient. Most orthodontists have patients wear retainers for one or two years. I have noted that younger patients require a Dr. Eberting holds degrees from Duke University and Temple University in both General Dentistry and Orthodontics. He is a member of the American Dental Association, the TN Dental Association, the Second District Dental Society, the American Association of Orthodontists, the Southern Association of Orthodontists, and the TN Association of Orthodontists. He is a Fellow in the Academy of General Dentistry. Dr. Eberting enjoys theater, music running, politics, reading and movies. He has three children.
“A patient’s retainers will hold the teeth at “the finish line” while the gums and bone continue reshaping themselves.”
shorter retention phase while adult patients require a much longer retention phase. A word of advice – please wear your retainers 24/7 and take good care of them. Clean them daily. And most importantly, please do not wrap them in a napkin and set them on your lunch tray. Hunting through the garbage bins behind the school cafeteria looking for your retainer is a not a fun way to spend your afternoon. I speak from personal experience. Remember, now is the best time to have your orthodontic evaluation or begin orthodontic treatment. Call us at Hardin Valley Orthodontics at (865) 690-7115, and we will be more than happy to set an initial consultation to evaluate your orthodontic needs. We hope you have a happy and safe school year!!! This is a reprint of the article from the Get-Ready-For-School July issue.
You can be the difference in the lives of abused and neglected children in our community. Become a CASA Advocate. We are for the child. Our next advocate training class starts September 9th. For more information, call 865.329.3399 or visit www.casaofeasttn.org
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Knoxville Parent • August 2013
Are your kids getting too much screen time? Excessive screen time is linked to childhood obesity by Ashley Ebert, Exercise Physiologist
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creen time, lack of sleep, decreased physical activity and increased appetite are all factors associated with the obesity epidemic worldwide. Screen time has enabled us to lead sedentary lifestyles, which can contribute to other medical problems, specifically obesity. Kids will see 5,000-10,000 food ads in a year, most of which are fast food ads. Watching these ads may cause kids (and adults) to have cravings that can eventually lead to obesity in the long run. However, parents can have a huge and positive impact on kids’ health by supervising what they are watching, being a good role model, scheduling and enforcing screen times every day and incorporating daily active activities. Screen time also plays a significant role in over eating by kids and adults. We all know that what we see on TV may influence what we do such as seeing a “Hardees” commercial and instantly craving the food they are advertising. Hunger is a feeling of pain, emptiness, or weakness induced by lack of food. Appetite is the desire of food. Now that you know the meaning of each word, you can work on using our Hungry Cues check list which will allow you to determine the difference between actual hunger and appetite. It is recommended to stay in the 3-7 range. 1. Famished, Starving 2. Really hungry, may feel tired, weak, hard to concentrate 3. Hungry, stomach may grumble 4. Somewhat hungry but could wait to eat 5. Neither hungry or full, don’t need to eat 6. Feel satisfied or somewhat full, no reason to eat more 7. Politely full, you could eat more but you don’t have to 8. Full don’t need to eat more 9. Uncomfortably full When following this chart also try eating at a slower pace. It takes up to 20 minutes before your brain can tell your stomach that you are full. So eat what’s on your plate and then try drinking a glass of water and wait 20 minutes before deciding to eat more.
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“Make exercise a habit and priority everyday, so that your child can develop a healthy lifestyle.” Another downfall of having too much screen time is that it decreases our activity level and increases sedentary lifestyle. The CDC encourages kids to get at least 60 minutes of activity everyday. The benefits that your child will gain from physical activity are strengthening heart, muscles, lungs, and bones; decreased blood sugar levels and blood pressure; controls weight, improves self-esteem, sleep,emotional well-being , and provides more energy throughout the day. To encourage your child to be more active try doing family activities together, such as taking walks around the neighborhood or going to the park on a regular basis. Make exercise a habit and priority everyday, so that your child can develop a healthy lifestyle. Programs are being developed across the country to combat the childhood obesity problem, such as BodyFit at Fort Sanders Health and Fitness. Body Fit is a new program for kids from the ages of 8-13 that helps kids develop a healthy lifestyle. If you need help getting your child active this would be a great opportunity for your child to join in on the fun! Children who sleep less are much more likely to be obese than those who get a full 8 hours of sleep. Scientific studies have shown that, while controlling for issues such as diet, screen time, and socioeconomic status, sleep remains correlated to obesity in children. When kids don’t have a bed time each night it gives more opportunity to snack, and they tend to be more fatigued which makes them less likely to be active throughout the day. When kids are fatigued they crave more high fat and high carbohydrate foods which put them into a “food coma,” making them feel more fatigued and sluggish. Parents should aim for their kids to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night so that they are able to focus more in school, eat a healthier diet, and have more energy during the day. Now that you have learned more about the effects of excess screen time and sleep, here are more ways you can help to reduce screen time for you and your child. Below are things you can do to help reduce screen time. • • • •
Decrease TV/Screen time usage Do not have TV in children’s bedrooms Limit TV/Screen time in childcare programs At community centers and other organizations serving youth, offer activities that get kids moving as opposed to sedentary activities.
Ashley Ebert received a B.S. of Health Science at Clemson University. Ashley is an Exercise Physiologist at Fort Sanders Health and Fitness Center, as well as a Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor. She is certified and amember of Maddog Spinning as well as Les Mills. Before moving to Knoxville, TN she worked with a childhood obesity clinic working with kids from the ages 6-21 for 2 years and created exercise classes 2x per week. Ashley enjoys running, cycling, and spending time with her husband and dog.
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Knoxville Parent • August 2013
Keep the joints moving
Children with arthritis can excercise by John Frederick Wolfe, M.D.
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xercise is always a hot topic in the media these days, but exercise for children with arthritis is a topic that needs discussion. Children get arthritis, too. Once that diagnosis has been made, it is very important to keep muscles strong and joints mobile. A rheumatologist can make a diagnosis of one of the many different kinds of arthritis that exist in children. These different types of arthritis are addressed on very specific individual bases. Some types of inflammatory arthritis require rest and heat with very, very gentle range of motion exercises. Other types require a good exercise program with stretching and muscle strengthening to get these kids functioning as normally and being as active as possible. Exercising in water is the single best activity for patients with all types of arthritis. Swimming is a phenomenal exercise that allows every joint and muscle to be used with very little pressure and impact on the joints. Pediatric physical therapists can teach parents and children how to do the exercises, which can be performed in any pool that is available. In the summer, it is quite easy to exercise in water, as there are many outdoor pools, and the gets warm with the sun. In the winter, it is more difficult to find an indoor pool that is well heated for the young arthritis patient, but they can be found and are very accommodating to patients with juvenile inflammatory arthritis. When a pool is not available, some of the exercise programs, such as yoga and tai chi, are excellent ways for young people to obtain great motion and strength without damage and without high impact on the joints. The Arthritis Foundation has programs led by people who are trained to teach tai chi and yoga and can educate parents about these activities. Parents can, then, help their children participate in sports by choosing activities that are not high impact. For example, sports such as golf and swimming are two activies which can allow young students to be on a sporting team with low impact experiences. Recognizing that warming up and stretching helps prevent injuries is true for those who are exercising in any way and can be very useful in preventing injuries, which might lead to arthritis in these young people as they grow older. There is no sport that does not benefit from a stretching warm-up program before being engaged in. While everyone is anxious to get started in whatever they are doing, it is most important that the parents and families help educate the children about warming up and stretching prior to exercise. This is the way to enjoy the exercise, be successful and prevent long-term damage. The Arthritis Foundation has a program called PACE which stands for People with Arthritis Can Exercise and serves as a good source of help and hope for children with arthritis ( http://www.arthritis.ca/page. aspx?pid=1286 )
“The single best exercising for all types of arthritis is in the water.”
Dr. John Frederick Wolfe, a North Carolina native, received his undergraduate degree from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and graduated with an MD degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His internship and residency was in Internal Medicine at the University of Missouri in Columbia, as was his fellowship in Rheumatology. He was on the faculty of the University of Missouri until he and Dr. Donna M. Winn founded the practice of Rheumatology Consultants, PLLC in 1979. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
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Knoxville Parent • August 2013
How to break up with your snooze button by Chief Lee Tramel, Knox County Sheriff ’s Office
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elcome back to school! It’s time to end your summer fling with the snooze button. And, if you’re anything like I am, the “fling” felt more like a deep, committed relation. But, I’ve realized that my love affair with the snooze button can easily be replaced by establishing a good routine for my family and myself. No routine can survive without adequate sleep, so I’m committed to finding ways to bring more sleep to my household. Some people say that sleep is overrated, but I think it’s underrated, especially in today’s society. We need to give our multi-tasking, always-in-fast-forward brains a chance to relax. Sleep is so important in maintaining our physical, emotional, and intellectual health. Getting enough sleep enables our children to concentrate better and to perform better on tests. Lack of sleep hinders our ability to concentrate and to make decisions. This is not only incredibly dangerous for someone in my line of work, but for everyone. The very first step in getting better sleep is to establish a set bedtime for your child and yourself. Keep in mind that children require significantly more sleep than adults. According to healthsuccesssite.com, teens require eight and a half to nine and a half hours daily, children between ages five and 12 require between nine and 11 hours daily, and children between ages three and five require between 11 and 13 hours daily. Most adults require between seven and nine hours daily. Having homework finished, lunches packed, clothes laid out well before bedtime can reduce your stress level and ease your mind, allowing your brain to focus on sleep instead of your to-do list. Avoid caffeine after lunch. Create a bedtime ritual and relax before hitting the hay. You and your children should avoid studying and playing computer games (this includes games on cell phones and electronic tablets!) an hour before bedtime. Children should take their showers and baths at night to save time in the morning. Baths and showers can be beneficial for us too, because they relax the body and prepare it for sleep. Sleep in a cool, quiet, dark room and turn off the television before going to sleep. Some people benefit from spritzing lavender on their pillow or drinking a nighttime tea shortly before bedtime. Just remember that eating shortly before bed or drinking too much water can interfere with quality of sleep. Alcohol and nicotine should also be avoided before bedtime. Exercise and sleep go hand-in-hand. Sleep plays a critical role in our weight and energy level. With more energy, we are more apt to exercise. When we exercise, we are more apt to sleep better. Just make sure you don’t exercise too Lee Tramel is the Assistant Chief Deputy for the Knox County Sheriff ’s Office. During his 26 year career, he also served in the civil warrants division and as Assistant Director of the Court Services Division. Lee is a Knoxville native, where he lives with his wife and 11 year old daughter.
“Sleep is so important in maintaining our physical, emotional, and intellectual health. Getting enough sleep enables our children to concentrate better and to perform better on tests.” close to bedtime. Those wonderful endorphins that exercise provides tend to want to stay up and party with us if we exercise late at night. Now that you’re an expert on sleeping well, go forth and catch some z’s. And if you find me asleep in the pick-up line at school, please wake me up and tell me to read my own article.
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Last August, more than $100,000 was raised during the Diocese of Knoxville’s Second Collection in support of our ten Catholic schools. Through the generosity of our parishioners, 704 of the 2,766 Catholic students received tuition assistance of nearly
$3 million in the 2012-13 school year which helped families in need afford the cost of a Catholic school education. This year we hope to raise $300,000 of the total tuition assistance funds needed. Please prayerfully consider contributing to the Second Collection on August 24 & 25...with your support we can reach this goal!
s econd
By providing tuition support for our students, you are INVESTING in Catholic families of our Diocese and the future of our Church in East Tennessee. Thank you!
c ollection August 24 & 25, 2013
dioknox.org/schools
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Knoxville Parent • August 2013
Guiding your child through the college application essay by Liz Stucke, President of Admissions Prep
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riting the college application essay can be an overwhelming experience for a student and nerve-wracking experience for a parent. For parents, it is like sitting in the white plastic lawn chairs by the pool as your young child struggles to learn to swim. You sit at the edge of the chair, trying not to tip it over, but ready to dive in to rescue your child at any moment. Watching your teenager write the college essay is a similar nerve-wracking experience. Hunched over her laptop, mumbling, “what great failure have I overcome?” is the teenager you raised. You know her every success and blunder, her personality, and especially her potential. You know exactly how she overcame a failure. So just as a father is ready to rescue his drowning child, you may feel tempted to dive in, nudge your daughter off the computer and say, “What about something like this?” as you spend the next hour pounding out a “draft” of your daughter’s application essay. Instead, how can you guide your child to write a successful essay without diving in?
1. Where to begin?
Begin with practice writing. Your teen will need to ask himself, Who am I? What motivates me? What do I care most about? These questions are difficult to answer at any age. So don’t start there. Instead, start with a quick exercise. My students use a writing exercise from Harry Bauld’s book, On Writing the College Application. Students quickly respond in writing to a list of about 30 terms, such as a smell or a specific memorable place. This is a great way for your child to quickly remember instances from her life.
2. What to write?
The college essay should reveal your child’s unique personality and character. Yet, how often has your child thought about his character or personality? This is where you can help. Whether in a meeting with his counselor or in writing, provide positive comments about the growth of your child. How has he transitioned over the years? When is he successful? Typically a story or two comes up that helps both the counselor and your child know what you think motivates him or demonstrates a pivotal moment. Your child may very well shrug these stories off and act as if “my mom is the most embarrassing person in the world!” But he will hear it, know that you are proud and gain more insight into what others notice about his character. Then have your child choose three questions from the Common Application essay prompts, and write for ten minutes (more if they want) each night in response to one of those questions. Each question is answered three different Liz Stucke, President of Admissions Prep (www.AdmissionsPrep. net) counsels students through the College Selection and Application process. Email questions or set up a free consultation: Liz@AdmissionsPrep.net or call/text 865-951-0639.
“When reading an applicant’s essay, the admissions reader should be able to imagine the applicant right in front of her.” nights in three different ways. The goal is to have your child flesh out a great amount of material in a short time without worrying about perfect writing style. This process forces a your child to look beyond the retelling of a story to begin analyzing underling motivations and revealing personality traits. It also quickly produces several possible essays topics.
3. Writing Style
First SHOW more than TELL. Second, include active DETAILs! When reading an applicant’s essay, the admissions reader should be able to imagine the applicant right in front of her. Recounting a story that SHOWS compassion, such as a story about a new student that quickly helps your son clean off his cafeteria issued uniform after flinging leftover spaghetti sauce all across the linoleum floor, is more effective than, “I learned compassion from many of my friends.” Imagine the college admissions officer. She has worked all day reviewing college applications telling how they learned perseverance and leadership through their various accomplishments. It all starts to blur. It is late at night and she has time for one last read, and she picks up your son’s application essay. Will the essay keep her awake? Will it allow her to visualize a real teenager with fears and insecurities, but with the insight to know that it is part of growing up? Or, will it be the same old essay: “I learned perseverance by scoring the winning goal.” Will the essay make her laugh, hook her in to root for your child and perhaps even give his file a nickname, such as ‘cafeteria boy’ or ‘spaghetti flinger’? That is a college essay that adds personality to an application, full of facts and figures and one that she’ll likely remember.
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Knoxville Parent • August 2013
Psychological healing for parents To heal, we must remember by Kathryn Rea Smith, Ph.D.
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“Once I realized that the anxiety had to do with my past experience, and not my son’s life, I could see my fears were misplaced.”
t is often said that parents get to re-experience childhood through their children. Our own memories of both the good times and the hardships are resurrected as our children meet developmental milestones and advance from one grade to the next. My sons are now 10 and 13 and will be in the fifth and eighth grade respectively. I have fond memories from these years in my life. In fifth grade I had a group of great friends and a teacher who encouraged my interest in writing. In eighth grade I had the chance to strong emotions, it is at the same time an invitation to heal conduct a major research project about a crime spree in psychologically and become more integrated emotionally. our community, a topic which foreshadowed the gratifying To heal, we must remember. Our emotions are not meant work I do today as a forensic psychologist. As my sons to be freeze dried and stored away, but rather to be progress through the school year, I may recall additional reconstituted, expressed and released and to impart deeper positive memories from my fifth and eighth grade years. meaning and understanding to our lives. The year my older son entered sixth grade was a different As the school year begins, we might take time for story altogether. I found myself anxious and afraid he reflection, asking “What was going on in my life when I would have a difficult time and could not shake my sense of was my child’s age?” We do this for the sake of our children dread. When I was in sixth grade, my family moved from so as not to project our own anxieties onto them. We Pennsylvania to Georgia, and I was devastated to leave Photo by Kasandra Atwood. also do it for ourselves, because we, too, are deserving of my friends. With my “Yankee” brand of sarcastic humor, greater psychological health and wholeness. I stood out as a misfit in my new school—my peers in Georgia did not know what to make of me, and I experienced the pain of rejection for the first time. Memories from that school year were powerfully stirred by the mere fact of my son being in the grade I was in when those events occurred. Once I realized that the anxiety had to do with my past experience, and not my son’s life, I could see my fears were misplaced. I worked on my own issues, and my son went on to have a pretty good year both socially and academically. Another example shows how the development of psychological symptoms in a parent can be related to having a child of a certain age. My friend began having panic attacks when his son entered the first grade. The attacks seemed to come from left field. I asked “What was happening in your life when you were in the first grade?” He told me of having become very ill and being sent to live with relatives because his mother had a new baby plus a set of twin toddlers to care for. He recovered from the illness, but the relatives kept him permanently; thus, the first grade marked the end of his life with his parents Looking for a meaningful gift that will last forever? and younger siblings. Through his identification with his child, he was reHonor your loved ones with an original portrait by local artist experiencing the emotions associated with that powerful loss in his early life. Once he realized the historical context of his anxiety, the panic attacks subsided, and he was able to mourn his past loss and move on emotionally. family members • newlyweds • beloved pets • landscapes • still life One of the benefits of being a parent is having opportunities to work through unresolved events from our past. Our identification with our children AR-Art.com evokes memories and emotions that were hitherto inaccessible. For parents (865) 425-0425 who suffered abuse, trauma, or significant losses in childhood, having children approach the age at which these events occurred may trigger painful memories of those times. Even though it is difficult and disruptive to experience these
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Kathryn Rea Smith, Ph.D. is a private practice psychologist specializing in psychological assessment and parenting consultation. Dr. Smith can be reached at kerea@aol.com.
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Knoxville Parent • August 2013
When emergencies happen By Ryan Redman, M.D.
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s a parent, you never want to think of your child being injured. However, if your child is involved in an accident, he needs emergency care quickly and in an environment that’s best suited for him. East Tennessee Children’s Hospital’s Emergency Department provides highly specialized emergency care for infants, children and teens. Because we treat more children needing emergency care than anyone else in East Tennessee, our doctors and nurses are equipped to treat everything from minor injuries to major medical concerns. We understand we are caring for patients who need a special kind of treatment—not only to make them well, but also to make them feel comfortable and safe. Our dedicated medical team is led by a group of board-certified pediatric emergency medicine doctors, and our nurses and other team members all have special interest, knowledge and skill in the emergency medical care of children.
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“We are the only emergency facility in the city to offer the services of Child Life Specialists who help our patients cope with the anxiety of being in the Emergency Department.” Our Emergency Department team works closely with all other specialty departments in the hospital, including radiology, surgery and child life, to provide coordinated, comprehensive and child-friendly care. We are the only emergency facility in the city to offer the services of Child Life Specialists who help our patients cope with the anxiety of being in the Emergency Department. They are there to distract children during painful procedures, talk a child and his family through each aspect of treatment and be an advocate for the child throughout his stay. We also have translation services available at all hours to help anyone coming to Children’s Hospital to fully understand a child’s condition and treatment. Our young patients also benefit from an Emergency Department designed specifically with children in mind. The décor is kid-friendly, which helps children feel more comfortable during their visit. Unlike adult hospitals, our Emergency Department has equipment made to fit growing bodies—from smaller needles and anesthesia masks to breathing tubes and blood pressure cuffs. In fact, many young patients who are initially taken to nearby adult hospitals are then transferred to Children’s Hospital, because we are better equipped to handle their special needs. We have more than 72,000 emergency visits a year—averaging 200 patients each day—and are ready to treat children 24/7, 365 days a year. In our Emergency Department, children are protected from potentially frightening adult emergencies and inappropriate situations, and non-urgent patients are triaged to a separate area within the Emergency Department during evenings and weekends. We realize the Emergency Department is the last place a parent and child want to be, so we are committed to doing everything we can to make the experience as comfortable as possible. Not only can you be assured your child will be provided the best care available, but also know it will happen in a safe, child-friendly environment by medical personnel specially trained to deal with any emergency situation. Ryan Redman, M.D., is an emergency medicine doctor at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. Visit www.etch.com for more information.
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Knoxville Parent • August 2013
Knowledge you can use
Challenge your child with the Six Tasks By Barry Van Over, President of Premier Martial Arts International
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ost parents who involve their children in extracurricular sports and activities are looking for ways to complement or strengthen their children’s talents and abilities. It is the desire of every parent that, if they expose their children to quality role models and positive esteem building activities, then they will become well-rounded individuals. Since time is always limited and not every activity will build esteem, sportsmanship, leadership and compassion as quickly or efficiently as one might want, there are resources that parents can use right from home. These simple exercises are a way to build character, confidence and responsibility quickly and easily. Another great feature of this program is that it can be upsized or downsized to fit the age and ability of your child. This program is called the six tasks. The six tasks is a journaling system for children (and yes adults can do it too) that is simple and powerful. Let’s start by looking at the six tasks in their entirety: 1. Kindness: 50 random acts of kindness 2. Teamwork: 50 home helps 3. Perseverance: 1000 repetitions of a skill building activity 4. Self Discipline: 7 days of down to earth healthy eating- no junk food 5. Knowledge: 5 letters to family members and read 2 books
“Anyone who is in a leadership position knows the importance of learning how to persevere despite obstacles, to be kind on a regular basis and to be a team player.” as repeating a simple scale on an instrument like a piano or flute; but if done over and over thousands of times, learning new scores will become easier. The player will gain confidence and will, in time, be better suited to perform than a player who fiddles with the scales but never builds any sense of mastery. These tasks were designed to challenge children to work hard on themselves and to contribute. Anyone who is in a leadership position knows the importance of learning how to persevere despite obstacles, to be kind on a regular basis and to be a team player. Please email me your questions and results- I know this program works and that the results will be rock solid!
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6. Leadership: teach or coach 3 session on a well known skill To implement the six tasks in your home involves a little bit of work. You need to clearly explain why you are involving your family in the six tasks, who is accountable for what (parents of small children should journal the child’s progress on a chart or diary) and when you would like to see the task accomplished. Then set them free, but remind them of their responsibility to complete the tasks within a reasonable time. Asking your child what kind things they did today for others at the dinner table and then writing them down later is a wonderful way to track your child’s progress. It is also a great way to ‘stir the pot’ and get some kids talking and relating. Some tasks like the random acts of kindness will flow for your child, while having the self discipline and not touching any junk food may be difficult for the entire family (you may want to break that down into chunks to make sure the whole family doesn’t rebel) it is important to note that nothing of great importance comes without cost. The cost of perseverance may seem high when first learning a new skill such Barry Van Over is the owner and president of Premier Martial Arts International, of which there are currently over 80 location nationwide. Mr. Van Over has two locations in the West Knoxville area and been empowering families lives through the martial arts in the Knoxville community for over 20 years. Mr. Van Over and his local studios can be reached at www.premiermartialarts.com.
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Knoxville Parent • August 2013
Great back-to-school tips and strategies
By Tracey Matthews, KCS Supervisor of Family and Community Engagement Contributing Writer: Candice Campbell, Knox County Schools Family and Community Engagement, University of Tennessee student intern
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t’s that time again: Back to school! Students often have a difficult time getting back into their daily school routines. This is the perfect time to create back-to-school habits and strengthen routines to make your household less stressed. From creating a “Bus Stop” station for school belongings to organizing “homework play dates” to make homework more fun, here are some back-to-school tips to make your school year a success! Back-to-School Habits • Set and practice your child’s school bedtime routine. • Plan a few family activities that require everyone to get up at the regular school time to help your child get in the habit of getting up early again. • Prepare lunch and perhaps set out breakfast the night before. • Limit caffeine and sugary snacks when it’s close to bedtime. • Reduce excessive use of technology (television, non-educational computer games, cell phone, etc.) in the evenings, and replace these activities with reading time, computer research or educational games. • Read (or listen) to your child as a bedtime ritual for at least 20 minutes each night. • Create a “Back-to-School Chore Chart,” so your child will know what habits he or she needs to continue now that school responsibilities are once again in the mix! See the examples below: Morning Responsibilities: • Put on school clothes • Brush hair • Make the bed • Eat breakfast • Brush teeth • Place school items (homework, projects, etc.) in the backpack • Pack lunch and snack After-school Responsibilities: • Place items in the “Mom and Dad” mailbox • Change clothes • Place laundry in hamper • Eat snack • Enjoy playtime break • Clean room • Set table • Complete homework • Eat dinner • Clear table • Shower, brush teeth, and floss • Set out clothes for next day • Prep book bag for next day and place at the door • Read for 20 minutes Back-to-School “Homework Play Dates” • Organize study and homework “play dates”or “study dates” with your child’s friends. • Confirm who will be supervising.
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Create a schedule of start and finish times. Exchange contact information with the parents. Try to select friends within walking distance or close driving distance. Review the homework assignments, so you can better supervise completion. • Create games with flashcards for the children to use. • Provide tasty but healthy snacks. • Keep the homework date limited to only a few children, but rotate locations so all parents will have their “turns.” • Leave time for the homework date to turn into a “play date” after all homework is completed. • Consider inviting parents, too! • Share your child’s learning style with the supervising adults. Visit mychildsfuture.org/parents/item.htm?id=29&edlvl=1to learn more about learning styles. • Describe your child’s study style and techniques. For example, does your child prefer studying with a lamp or a bright light? What about a soft chair or perhaps the floor? Research shows both good and bad effects of listening to music while studying, but don’t wait until the night before a test to see if this method works for your child. Visit emedexpert.com/tips/music.shtml to learn more about music and learning. Back-to-School Organizational Tips • Create a wall calendar and corkboard area to place important homework assignment, class schedules, appointments, school dates to remember, etc. • Create a “Mom and Dad” mailbox in which your child can place papers each day. • Create color-coded folders for class lists, medical information, school directories, field-trip information, etc., for each child. • For less clutter, create boxes for storage of books, crayons, paper, etc. • Create index cards for dinner ideas to keep your weekly meal planner manageable. Be sure to include “Make-Your-Own-Sandwich” Night! • Confirm your emergency backup contact person and be ready to share this information with the school. • Create a daily checklist for you and your child to make sure you have what you need before leaving home (soccer supplies, tennis shoes for P.E., etc.). • Create a “Bus Stop” station for backpacks, umbrellas, jackets, rain boots, etc. • Create a “Lunch Station” for both refrigerated and dry snacks for easy access before and after school. • Create a “Homework Station” that aligns with your child’s learning style. • Decorate and fill a basket, bin or even an old briefcase with school supplies, so the “Homework Station” will be well organized. For more information, please visit the Family and Community Engagement at knoxschools.org.
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Knoxville Parent • August 2013
Ten Terrific Books to Empower Parents The Everyday Parenting Toolkit: The Kazdin Method for Easy, Step-by-Step, Lasting Change for You and Your Child by Alan E. Kazdin and Carlo Rotella Yale University professor and child psychologist Kazdin shares with parents his proven method for nurturing well-behaved children and provides a wealth of concrete examples and useful strategies for success. The Parent App: Understanding Families in the Digital Age by Lynn Schofield Clark Sociologist and mother Clark provides a detailed look at how families are handling the risks and benefits of the internet, social media, and mobile technology with tips on navigating the digital age in your own home.
The Secrets of Happy Families: Improve Your Mornings, Rethink Family Dinner, Fight Smarter, Go Out and Play, and Much More by Bruce Feiler New York Times columnist Feiler ventures outside the typical realm of psychology to find out how a family can be truly happy, trying techniques from the worlds of business, the military, and professional sports with his own family and gives readers an insight into what actually works. Teach Your Children Well: Parenting for Authentic Success by Madeline Levine Psychologist, mother, and bestselling author Levine shows parents how to raise wholly successful children by building their social and emotional wellbeing instead of focusing solely on their academic achievements.
Compiled by Erin Nguyen
Children’s Department, Knox County Public Library
Everyday Activities to Help Your child with Autism Live Life to the Full: Simple Exercises to Boost Functional Skills, Sensory Processing, Coordination and Self-Care by Debra S. Jacobs and Dion E. Betts Occupational therapist Jacobs and educator Betts introduce readers to autism spectrum disorders and how they can affect a child’s body, then present simple activities that can be done by families during the day to work on specific issues. Bully: An Action Plan for Teachers and Parents to Combat the Bullying Crisis by Lee Hirsch, Cynthia Lowen, and Dina Santorell, eds. This companion book to the 2011 documentary film Bully covers the bullying epidemic in the United States, with specific insights into how adults can recognize bullied children and change their environments for the better.
Any Given Monday: Sports Injuries and How to Prevent Them, for Athletes, Parents, and Coaches – Based on My Life in Sports Medicine by Dr. James R. Andrews Dr. Andrews takes on a wide variety of youth sports, from football to snowboarding and even cheerleading (which he calls completely out of control) and provides practical ways to prevent the many injuries associated with them.
For library information in your area visit: www.knoxlib.org/
Just One of the Kids: Raising a Resilient Family When One of Your Children Has a Physical Disability by Kay Harris Kriegsman, Ph.D. and Sara Palmer, Ph.D. This valuable resource offers advice and encouragement to families facing challenges often not addressed in typical parenting books, specifically how to create a resilient family when your household is affected by a physical disability. Calmer, Easier, Happier Parenting: Five Strategies That End the Daily Battles and Get Kids to Listen the First Time by Noel Janis-Norton Focusing on concepts developed at her Calmer, Easier, Happier Parenting Centre in London, Janis-Norton gives clear strategies for helping parents develop five characteristics most often desired in their children – cooperation, confidence, motivation, self-reliance, and consideration. The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease This recently released seventh edition of the classic bestseller on reading aloud to children will inspire you to read to your children as well as suggest hundreds of tried and true titles from which to choose.
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Knoxville Parent • August 2013
Dear Knox County Schools’ Families
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elcome to the 2013-2014 school year! The start of a school year is one of my favorite times, as I regularly visit our schools and meet students. Results from some of our assessments during the 2012-2013 school year make me even more eager for this year to begin. We are beginning to see the educational dividends associated with the great work happening in our classrooms and at home. The Knox County Schools saw gains in TCAP (Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program) and EOC (end-of-course) exams during 2012-2013. We met state achievement targets for nine of 11 key achievement measures, including three of four TCAP subjects for grades 3-8 (math, science and social studies) and six of seven high school EOC exams. We also achieved an increase of 2.3 percent in third-grade reading/language arts proficiency from 51.2% to 53.5%. The full report is available on our website, www.knoxschools.org, and I hope you will take time to read all of the results. Our students continue to make solid gains against universally high academic standards, but while our results are predominantly very positive, we must remember there still is work to do in order to provide an excellent education for each and every child in the Knox County Schools. This summer we announced that the Knox County Schools was selected as one of only four school systems in the country to receive funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to fund a “smart spending” initiative. The financial investment for the Knox County Schools’ initiative has a value of approximately $1.2 million and will support implementation of instructional strategies, efficiency initiatives, resource alignment, student-outcome analyses and technology use to support our mission of Excellence for all Children. I’m particularly excited that the timing of this grant coincides with our development of the next iteration of our strategic plan for the Knox County Schools. You will have opportunities soon to provide input into that five-year plan. The start of the school year also means full implementation of the Common Core State Standards. Essentially, the goal of the Common Core is to provide students with a deeper understanding of academic content and greater skills in connecting and applying knowledge so that they are better prepared for college and career. Common Core focuses on important skills such as critical thinking,
“This summer we announced that the Knox County Schools was selected as one of only four school systems in the country to receive funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to fund a ‘smart spending’ initiative.”
problem solving, and identifying and understanding connections between pieces of information. The standards are clear and concise to ensure that parents, teachers, and students have a high degree of understanding of the expectations in reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language and mathematics in school. In today’s global economy, our graduates must be prepared to compete not only with their peers in East Tennessee, but also with those from across the country and around the world. I encourage you to ask your principals and teachers more about Common Core and how the standards will be evident in the classroom. You also can learn more about Common Core at our website, www.knoxschools.org, or feel free to send your questions to commoncore@knoxschools.org. Traditionally, the beginning of school means the “Original Knox County Schools Coupon Book” is available for sale. This is the 25th year for our coupon book, and we’re celebrating this milestone with special anniversary offers in the book. The coupon book campaign is September 5-23. Also mark your calendars for Thank a Teacher Week, September 30-October 4. We set aside a week each year to recognize our teachers and school staff for the invaluable service they provide children all year. Watch for more information on low-cost and no-cost ways you and your children can thank our teachers. As students return to classrooms, parents can be assured that the intensive training our outstanding teachers and principals have undergone this summer prepares these leaders for a successful year, as we all work together to achieve our mission of Excellence for all Children. Sincerely, Dr. Jim McIntyre Superintendent, Knox County Schools
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Knoxville Parent • August 2013
How the Knoxville Symphony Reaches East Tennessee Students by Rachel Dellinger, KSO Communications Director Photos courtesy Knoxville Symphony Orchestra
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id you know Knoxville houses the oldest continuously operating symphony orchestra in the Southeast? Established in 1935, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra (KSO) is led by Maestro Lucas Richman and is currently entering its 78th season. The KSO’s mission is to maintain a nationally recognized regional orchestra that serves the people of East Tennessee by upholding the highest standards of excellence in its musical performances and educational programs. Two unique programs designed for students include the Young People’s Concerts and the Very Young People’s Concerts. The KSO also visits schools, libraries and public events such as the Children’s Festival of Reading and annually reaches over 30,000 students. The KSO participates in Penny for Arts, a program designed to give every child in Knox County an opportunity to attend arts and culture events FOR FREE. Keep reading to find out more! Young People’s Concerts and VERY Young People’s Concerts One creative way to introduce kids to classical music is to make it fun! The Young People’s Concerts (YPCs) are a first-time symphony experience for many children (geared toward students in grades 3rd through 5th). This year the Young People’s Concert has a game-show format that explores music history in “Orchestra Quiz Show.” The Attending a Young Peoples’ concert. KSO strives to make the concerts an interactive experience by including guest musicians and visual elements. Audiences include approximately 2,300 elementary school students PER CONCERT, or 11,500 students total. There are five opportunities to catch the YPCs this fall! The YPCs will take place on October 30 & 31 at 9:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. as well as November 1 at 9:30 a.m. at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium. Individuals may attend for $6 per person at the door. Who doesn’t want to dance with a talking penguin? The Very Young People’s Concerts (VYPCs) are comprised of music and stories specially selected for preschool, kindergarten, first and second grade students. During the one-hour performance, narration and exciting visual elements such as slides, video projections, props, lights, and costumes are used to stimulate the students’ interest, and plant the seed for further music education Picardy Penguin interacts with the growth. The program “Shall We Dance?” explores all types audience at a KSO VERY Young of dance music People’s Concert. with the help of Maestro Lucas Richman and the KSO’s animated friend, Picardy Penguin. The audience of youngsters fills an auditorium of approximately 1,500 students every year. This season, the VYPCs will take place on February 25 at 9:30 a.m. at the Tennessee Theatre. Individuals may attend for $8 per person at the door. Library Story Time with the KSO In partnership with the Knox County Public Library, the KSO’s Story Time quartet visits more than a dozen libraries throughout the community each season.
Children enjoy musical activities during Library Story Time
Members of the quartet combine stories about music with classical selections, sound effects, and hands-on learning for pre-school aged children and their parents. Programs in public library branches are FREE and open to the public. In 2010, this program expanded to also serve pre-kindergarten students in Knox County Schools. The 2013-14 program is “Dig Into Reading!” and the schedule can be found at knoxvillesymphony.com. Join us for fun with classical music as we Dig Into Reading together at the library!
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Penny 4 Arts Performances Believe it or not, your student may be able to attend a full orchestral performance for one penny. Not possible, you say? The KSO participates in the Penny 4 Arts program by allowing any student in Knox County grades m K-12 to attend any of the eight Masterworks or five d Chamber Orchestra performances for FREE. Penny Performances give every child an opportunity to attend o arts and culture events or activities at the maximum a cost of ONE PENNY when accompanied by an adult r during the academic school year. (One adult ticket must fl be purchased – WARNING – you and your child may w bond during this experience.) The Penny Performances program meets the local arts community’s long-term m goal of serving and educating East Tennessee’s children. Kathleen, a 1st grader, m This includes public, private and home-schooled shared her experience a students. The KSO just asks that the parent contact the with the KSO. c box office (865-291-3310) prior to the day of the concert in order to redeem tickets to the concert of their choice. m The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra is led by Music Director Lucas Richman a & consists of 75 professional musicians and performs more than 250 programs throughout East Tennessee each season. Performing in traditional venues such y as the Tennessee Theatre, Bijou Theatre and the Civic Auditorium, and in nons traditional places like hospitals, school classrooms, nursing homes, city parks and churches, the KSO reaches more than 200,000 people throughout the region each year.
SAVE THE DATE for the KSO’s Young People’s Concerts and Very Young People’s Concerts! Young People’s Concerts (grades 3-5) - Oct. 30 & 31 - 9:30 & 10:45 AM; Nov. 1 - 9:30 AM only; Knoxville Civic Auditorium, $6 per person at the door Very Young People’s Concerts (pre-K through 2nd grade) - February 25 - 9:30 AM at the Tennessee Theatre, $8 per person at the door
More info on all our youth programs can be found at www.knoxvillesymphony.com.
Picardy Penguin is an animated character, created by Maestro Lucas Richman for orchestras to use as a mascot for their young people’s concerts. Projected on a screen above the orchestra, Picardy serves as the catalyst for musical exploration during educational concert programs, as he interacts with the conductor, orchestra, soloists and audience. Dialogue and motions are triggered by a computer operator, creating the innovative new media component of live, interactive animation. Picardy made his debut with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra in 2006.
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Knoxville Parent • August 2013
The Nature Journal: A year-round family activity by Caleb Carlton, Teacher Naturalist at Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont
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ack to school means, for parents and students alike, the onset For tips and tricks on nature journaling: of a whirlwind. Let’s face it, even the thought of the modernwww.simplehomemade.net/nature-journaling-with-kids day school year is overwhelming. Students are scheduled to the www.sierraclub.org/education/nature_journal.asp limits, while parents struggle to balance professional demands and www.donnayoung.org/science/nature-journal.htm experiencing life with their children. Even when everybody’s home, Explore Tremont’s Online Nature Journal: there’s homework, television, smart phones, and pure exhaustion to www.themiddleprongpress.com detract from family time. It’s easy to arrive at the Thanksgiving break and wonder what curiosity that’s overcome you! Fifteen to twenty minutes will ensure happened to September, October and November, and, more time to complete drawings or thoughts. Keeping your journaling worrisome, what your children have been up to throughout the slot consistent will help to make it an anticipated routine, while Fall. The challenge is, then, to foster meaningful and consistent periodically switching from morning to evening sessions can reveal a relationships with the ones you love the most in the midst of hectic new set of wonders. schedules and tired minds. By consistently opening yourself So let’s be realistic: you need the most from the free moments you and your family to the small might have with your children during the school week. Consider a wonders of nature that are with daily (or however often you can make work) nature journal. Journaling helps capture you, even through the chaos of the Picture this: you and your children spending fifteen minutes memorable experiences school year, you’ll also be setting observing the happenings of the backyard or local park while writing discovered in nature. the stage for a grand set of familyand drawing in an effort to record your discoveries. Photo by: Amy Wilson based activities: camping, hiking, Together, you actually watch the summer greens ignite into the fall traveling, star-gazing, and so on. reds and then fade into the winter browns. Together, you watch Monarch butterflies When you’re ready to move beyond the fly by, headed for a winter in central Mexico. Together, you bear witness to the backyard, we’ll be ready for you here at Tremont, wonder of life and the simple joys of being a part of it. where you can turn a new page in your nature By creating and keeping a nature journal, and falling into the routine of regularly Sights like this might be as journal with the wonder of your other backyard, making entries, you are ensuring that you are fully engaged in experiencing the close as your back door. moments that you have with your children. You are opening them to the wonder and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Photo by: Caleb Carlton awe that perpetually surround them, and forging an unbreakable bond—that shared connection to the natural world and all of its majesty. Furthermore, in journaling, you are creating a memory book in real-time – a material record of the time that you took to explore the world with your children and what you discovered together. Here are a few more reasons that nature journaling is the perfect activity to keep you close to your children, and your children fully experiencing the world that sneaks by while we’re all too busy to take notice: 1. You don’t need to know anything about the natural world. Nature journaling is not about knowing, it’s about observing. The process of discovery can unfold for parent and child alike. Feel encouraged to learn alongside your child and don’t hide your lack of knowledge from them – that way, you can enjoy your discoveries together. 2. You don’t need to go anywhere. There are incredible insects, virtually everywhere, to watch and sketch. Watching a single tree day after day can yield continuous discovery and new perspectives. The seasonal changes in this part of the world do enough on their own to keep things perpetually interesting. 3. You don’t need to spend any money. Nature journals needn’t be leather bound. If you really want to pinch the pennies and get creative, cut out two pieces of cardboard from a finished cereal box to use as a front and back, place blank or lined paper between, and staple-bind together. Personalize your journal with nature-inspired art! 4. You don’t need much time. Ten minutes can be plenty of time to sit quietly on the porch and watch a spider or a songbird go about its life, but don’t be surprised if you find it hard to pull away from the peaceful
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A Michigan native, Caleb holds a degree in Environmental Studies from Michigan State University. Recently he was a naturalist with the “Inside the Outside” Outdoor Science School (Orange County Department of Education, California). He has also worked on an organic farm. An avid backpacker, he has hiked portions of the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest and John Muir Trails. He is a Wilderness First Responder.
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Knoxville Parent • August 2013
The real thing
The miracle of becoming parents in mid-life By Anu Celly Narula, Ph. D.
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e thought we had lost the chances, but we continued to nurture the dream up against some intimidating odds. The strength of our belief in the power of prayers and the might of medicine backed up our desire to bring children into our lives. Our nine year old marriage was beautiful, but the “real thing” was missing. It was the very same dream that we had discussed on that magical evening when we first met each other, across the span of continents. We had gotten married in a jiffy, almost in a fairy tale fashion, just a week after meeting each other. What brought us together in an “arranged love” match typical to our native country was not just the commonality of our humble beginnings, or our career graphs in diverse disciplines, but our desire to have a family. There was no time to lose. As our life ahead beckoned us, we had lot of catching up to do in our mid life, not only in the aspect of conjugal bliss but also in our pipe dreams of parenthood. Tinkling laughter and toothless smiles, soothing lullabies and cooing sounds, velvety feet and pudgy hands, petal soft skin and sparkly eyes… and a host of other images crowded our imagination as we started doing the rounds to fertility clinics. The reality check offered by the numbers and tests done by the doctors did not bring us back to earth. We continued the endeavor to become parents amidst raised eyebrows and hushed whispers. And then, it was as if Providence decided to reward us two times over for our nine long
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years of undying hope and relentless patience. Perhaps, God Almighty weighed in the karmic account of all our deeds and demeanor, and decided to perpetuate a miracle of sorts. Two years ago, our twins came into this majestic and mystical world, after faith got wedded to technology. It felt as if Santa Claus unlocked a treasure house of unplumbed wealth in our lives, and all our “assets” in the life before faded out into insignificance. Our twin boys, nicknamed Mowgli and Maharajah, became the center of our universe. The first three months of our lives together were packed moments of delight and a wonder that we had never sampled in the three decades of our pre-parenthood youth. The occasional sniffle of cynicism over our age did not cause a ripple in the pool of our joy as we dipped in and out of new parent blues. The smiles and the blessings that our boys invoked from all our friends and family reinforced our determination to vanquish both age and judgmental norms, as we strived to be fit both in mind and body to take baby steps on the path to parenting. The first few months did look like a world full of hidden treasures and unsettling surprises. The night-long vigils were nerve racking but stopped short of being a nightmare, changing diapers sometimes only to check the color of poop were a pungent necessity but stopped short of being annoying, those gut-wrenching bouts of inexplicable crying seemed weird but stopped short of being intolerable, the endless rounds of doctor visits could be impossibly fretful but always stopped short of causing depression, and the interminable schedule of feeding bottles that we shared with friends-turned-nannies became an enterprise but never stopped short of being a life-saving grace. All in all, parenting infants has been tougher and more fulfilling than any other assignment that we have taken on in life. At times, it has felt as dizzying as a roller coaster ride, or as full of awe-struck wonder as a safari, or as uplifting as the attempts of children to acquire all the basic human skills. So, as we witnessed our boys utter that first sound, and gobble up that first morsel of baby food, and sit up in that collapsed posture, and take those first few wobbly foot steps, so also we felt like kids who fall off the wagon several times a day and finally learn to walk with sure-footed resilience. Right now, after our twins’ second birthday, as we take turns to play the role of the good cop and the bad cop, and implement a system of points for reward and admonishment, parenting has become a catalog of rewards that cancel out the stress with smiles, and crowns unflagging effort with moments of purposeful fulfillment. What makes us “different,” however, is not the number of years that we’ve spent on this planet, but those that beckon us forward like a rainbow on a perfect day in East Tennessee. Knoxville, deemed as “heaven on earth” by my sister from India, does seem like a perfect place to raise our kids, amidst the comfort of all four seasons, and the beauty of a landscape that is as diverse as the spectrum of joy and sorrow, peace and strife, color and shade, mountains and rivers, and smiles and tears that make our lives complete. The canopy of faith above our heads and the values that our parents bestowed on us, seem like a precious legacy that we can shower on our boys who will go on to be big Bunyan trees some day, and bring comfort and protection to their own little saplings. Dr. Anu Celly Narula is an English Professor turned Full Time OCD Mom, married to a cerebral scientist. Her husband, Chaitanya works for the Oak Ridge National Lab. They have two boys, Krish and Rishi, who are “miracle babies,” coming into this world when they were in their midlife and at the peak of their dreams and expectations for a family. Anu is currently writing a book titled, “The Fighting Spirit: Life Reinvented” with a Segment on Parenting.
“The Moon is Falling Down” The Beatrice Sandström Story
There were fireworks the night Titanic sank, distress signals actually. Seated in Lifeboat 13 with their mother, Agnes, one-year-old Beatrice Sandström and older sister Marguerite thought “the moon is falling down!” Indeed, it was the end of the world for many poor souls, but baby Beatrice would live to see another day. The Sandström trio had been visiting relatives in Sweden and were returning home to husband and father Hjálmar in San Francisco, California. They boarded Titanic among a Swedish party of 10 under the care of Thure Edvin Lundström, 32. When word spread Titanic had struck an iceberg and was in danger of sinking, Agnes refused to believe it until guardian Lundström appeared. He quickly hustled his group to the boat deck and into lifeboats. Little Beatrice was unaware of the danger, but her mother surely was. As she clung to her daughters, their lifeboat jerked and swayed down the side of the massive ship to an uncertain fate 60 feet below. On arrival in New York City, the Sandströms found brief refuge at St.Vincent’s Hospital before continuing on to San Francisco. In August 1912, just four months after the sinking, Agnes and Hjálmar sold their house, packed everything they owned and moved their family back to Sweden, where the four remained the rest of their lives. Beatrice’s first trip back to the United States was in 1988 to gather with other Titanic survivors. She died September 4, 1995, in Östergötland County, Sweden. She was 85 years old and the 10th remaining survivor of the Titanic disaster. This story is just one of 133 that belong to the children of Titanic. Visit Titanic Museum Attraction and discover them all.
ONE OF THE 133 CHILDREN STORIES OF TITANIC
The First and Only World Tribute to Titanic’s Littlest Heroes